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June 2010
A cowgirl herself, Seipp chose to work in D'Hanis ISD because of its proximity to her ranch and because of the district's small-town feel. D'Hanis ISD has little more than 300 students and 61 employees (and that's including maintenance, food service and teaching staff). And it didn't hurt that the school mascot is a cowboy. Without an assistant, Seipp handles the district's personnel, finance and curriculum issues. She devotes a large chunk of time to tailoring instruction around the book "Cowboy Ethics," which she discovered early in her now five-year stretch at D'Hanis ISD. Although the guide, written by author James P. Owen, is designed for business executives, its lessons neatly translate to speak to the district's students and staff, Seipp says. Seipp created a calendar around each of the book's principles, which include always finish what you start, take pride in your work, talk less and say more and live each day with courage. "In my personal life, I've always been surrounded by cowboys, and in education, I felt I could bring my love of that lifestyle to my students and the whole community," says Seipp. "I'm very adamant about modeling and teaching character to children, and they really relate to this 'code of the West' approach." Before coming to D'Hanis ISD, Seipp worked as a high school science teacher and then got into administration, taking on roles as an elementary school principal, a secondary school principal and an assistant superintendent. She admits that she didn't grow up wanting to be in education. Seipp had dreams of becoming a doctor, and she earned a degree in chemistry from Texas Tech University in preparation for such a career. When she didn't get into medical school, Seipp began working for a dean at the college while trying to figure out her next step. "One day my boss told me that I was wasting my degree, working for him, especially when there was such a need for math and science teachers," she recalls. "He walked me over to the dean of education's office, and within a week, I had five job offers from different districts." Seipp has worked in education now for more than 30 years. D'Hanis ISD celebrated its centennial in February. "We really looked at what we've achieved in the last 100 years and thought about how to move forward based on that," Seipp says, noting that the district commemorated the anniversary with a cowboy-themed community event. While organizing the party, she and the planning committee decided to start a foundation to provide scholarships for students. Because the first planning meeting was in December, they had less than two months to pull together the event and build awareness about the new foundation. But, like cowboys getting the cattle home, Seipp and her committee members pulled it off. A chuck wagon cook-off brought in the crowds, and numerous $1,000 donors came forward. By the end of February, D'Hanis ISD reached its goal of $25,000. Seipp says the money will be put in an account for students who have just entered kindergarten. She doesn't expect all of them to get a scholarship for college, but she hopes there will be enough money so that all who apply can receive some assistance. In the meantime, the cowboy lessons continue at D'Hanis ISD. On a regular basis, she types up codes of the cowboy way and posts them in the school, as well as on a billboard in "downtown" D'Hanis, to round up the whole community. She also publishes her thoughts on cowboy character in an e-newsletter that has attracted followers from other states and even Mexico. "There's something about cowboys that just captures the heart," she says. "If we can bring that to everyone in D'Hanis, then I feel like I'll have done my job." ELIZABETH MILLARD is a freelancer who also contributes to District Administration magazine. |
Being a cowboy or cowgirl is about more than ranching, roping and the great outdoors; there's a code of ethics to follow, including respect for self and others. That's just one of the many cowboy-themed character lessons taught at D'Hanis ISD, with Superintendent Pam Seipp leading the drive.